Till-alarm



(No Model.)

H. GARRETT. TILL ALARM.

No. 459,442. Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

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HENRY GARRETT, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

TILL-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,442, dated September 15, 1891.

Application filed November 13, 1890. fierial No. 371,334. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a combined lock and alarm for a cash-drawer or till, the object being to construct a till simple and cheap, which will offer the advantages of a combination-lock to prevent its being opened by unauthorized parties, and which will give an alarm when manipulated by any one unacquainted with the secret of its management.

The invention comprises a cash-drawer in which are arranged a series of bolts connected with independent wires on the outside of the drawer, which wires must be operated in a certain predetermined group in order to throw all of the bolts into a position in which the drawer may be opened.

It comprises, also, means for closing an electric circuit and ringing an alarm when the attempt is made to open the drawer without first having pulled the proper combination or group of wires to withdraw all the bolts.

It comprises, also, details of structure in regard to the electric alarm and other parts, which will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, and clearlyindicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, Figure 1 is a view of a drawer, partly broken away, part being in sec tion and part in elevation, provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.

A represents the drawer provided with side strips l3 O,which slidein co-operating grooves formed in a supporting-board D, secured to the under side of a counter or table. A block E is secured to the under side of the supporting-board D and a series of bolts or tumblers F F F F, provided with stems, rest in a transverse'slot formed in a partition G, suitably secured in the rear part of the drawer. The lower portion of the stem of each of these tumblersis pivotally connected to an arm of a bell-crank lever, an independent lever being provided for each tumbler. These levers H H H H are hung upon brackets secured to the partition G, and one arm of each projects through a slot in the bottom of the drawer, and the arms are there connected with a series of wires mounted on the bottom of the drawer and capable of longitudinal movement. The wires are represented at I I I I and extend toward the front of the drawer, and are there provided with finger-pieces J, by which they may be operated.

The bell-crank levers are divided into two sets and provided with co-operating springs K K, which tend to hold one pair or series of bolts in an elevated position where they will lie in the path of the block E if the drawer be pulled out, and the other set being pulled down out of the path of said block. It will thus be seen thatif the bolts F and F are held normally in an elevated position, the drawer can be opened by pulling wires I and 1 but if any other combination of wires be pulled one or some of the bolts will be raised in the path of the block E and will arrest the movement of the drawer, and as a large number of independent combinations can be formed of four elements considerable time will be required to discover the combination of wires which will open the drawer. The bolts F F, &c., are metallic, and the slot through which their stems project is slightly larger than the stems, which gives them a little play in the direction of movement of the drawer, and a metallic contact-block L, mounted on a piece of wood or other insulating material secured to the partition G, is placed behind the bolts, which are normally held out of contact therewith by means of a spring M, the edge of said spring lying in operative relation to the contact plate L, so that if the drawer be pulled outwardly when any of the bolts are raised the bolt will be forced rearwardly on striking the block E and the spring M brought into engagement with the contact-plate L, thus closing an electric circuit open at these points and including a dry battery N and a rheotomic bell, both placed in a suitable compartment of the drawer. So long as the proper bolts are shifted by manipulating the proper combination this circuit will remain open and the drawer can be opened IOO without giving an alarm; but if any other than the proper combination of wires is pulled some one or more of the bolts will be forced rearwardly by the block E and an alarm will be given. It will thus be seen that the invention provides not only a permutation-lock readily manipulated by one knowing the combination, but will give a continuous alarm in the hands of an interloper and is entirely self-contained, all parts of the alarm mechanism being within the drawer;

I prefer to use adry battery, of which there are several forms on the market, such batteries being well adapted for open-circuit Work, andby reason of there being no liquid present the battery can be laid in a horizontal position in the drawer, such position being advantageous by reason of the shallow depth of the drawer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a till, the combination of a series of vertically-movable spring-pressed bolts, some of said bolts lying normally in and some normally out of the path of a stop, independent connections between each bolt and fingerpieces on the outside of the till, and electricalarm apparatus including a battery, rheotomic bolt, and any circuit closer operated by a bolt when the latter strikes the stop.

2. A till provided with a battery and electric bell inclosed Within its walls, one or more bolts for locking the till, said bolts lying in the path of a stop, connections between the bolts, and finger-pieces on the outside of the till, and a circuit-closer operated by the bolts and stops if the till be pulled before being unlocked.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY GARRETT.

Witnesses:

W. S. SIMKINs, J. C. ROBERTS.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 459,442, granted September 15, 1891, upon the application of Henry Garrett, of Dallas, Texas, for an improvement in Till- Alarms, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 30, page 2, the word bolt should read bell, and the Word any should read a in line 31 the letter a should read (my and in line 38, same page, the word stops should read stop and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office,

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 22d day of September, A. D. 1891.

CYRUS BUSSEY,

[SEAL] Assistant Secretary of the I ntcr tor.

Oountersigned:

W. E. SrMoNDs, I

Commissioner of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 459,442, granted September 15, 1891, upon the application of Henry Garrett, of Dallas, Texas, for an improvement in Till- Alarms, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 30, page 2, the word bolt should read bell, and the word any should read a in line 31 the letter a should read any and in line 38, same page, the word stops should read stop and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiioe.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 22d day of September, A. D. 1891.

[SEAL] CYRUS BUSSEY,

Assistant Secretnryof the Interior. Oountersigned:

W. E. SmoNDs,

Commissioner of Patents. 

